What To Do In Olden Norway From Your Cruise Ship

Wondering what to do in Olden, Norway, from your cruise ship? The best things to do in Olden, Norway, are visiting the Briksdal Glacier and Loen Skylift. So, in this blog post, I’m going to show you exactly how you can visit both in one cruise day.

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Briksdal Glacier

The Briksdal Glacier is the most popular thing to do in Olden, Norway, on cruise port days for good reason. Here, you’ll witness a massive glacier hanging over a Gatorade-blue glacial lake, waterfalls galore and, if you’re lucky, a few lupines in bloom.

How To Get To Briksdal Glacier From The Cruise Port

To get to the Briksdal Glacier from the cruise port, you can prebook a shuttle bus or book a shuttle bus upon arrival to port.

The best option to get to Briksdal Glacier from the cruise port is to prebook a shuttle bus from the cruise port to the Briksdal Glacier visitor center and trailhead. You can prebook shuttle excursions through your cruise line; however, this is going to be the most expensive option. To save money, I recommend you prebook your shuttle tickets directly through the Olden tour companies, such as Oldencruise.com. These shuttles book out extremely early too, though.

If the shuttle pre-booking options sell out before you can purchase, get off the ship as early as you can on your Olden port day and walk directly to the sightseeing ticketing office adjacent to the port. Here, you can purchase a shuttle bus ticket to Briksdal Glacier as long as tickets are still available. I went to the ticketing office shortly after the gangway opened in the morning, and there were a few tickets left for the day that I was able to purchase. You will see various tents set up on the port offering other sightseeing tours of Olden as well. All of these tours should offer returning stops back to the Port of Olden.

You cannot walk from Olden to Briksdal Glacier, especially on a cruise day, as the Briksdal Glacier trailhead is a 25 kilometer drive from the Port of Olden. Plus, that doesn’t include the actual hike from the trailhead to the glacier. The walk would simply be too long.

Briksdal Glacier Hike

Once you arrive to the Briksdal Glacier visitor center, you still have a short hike to get to the glacier — unless you take the troll cars, which we’ll discuss next. The trailhead to Briksdal Glacier is located just behind the visitor center and is very easy to navigate.

The Briksdal Glacier hike is an easy out-and-back hike that takes approximately 45 minutes each way to complete. So, plan to spend at least 3-4 hours at Briksdal Glacier including the hike and drive time. The hike to the glacier is more of an uphill walk than a hike. But, there are several staircases you have to climb.

I was able to complete the hike up to the glacier in 35 minutes and back down to the visitor center in 25 minutes, so if you’re an avid hiker, you will probably be able to spend extra time at the glacial lake. That being said, there were visitors of all ages and hiking levels on the trail with no problems. The trail is on a wide gravel pathway, and is crowded in peak months (May-September).

Difficulty: Easy.
Trail type: Out-and-back.
Length: 3.3 miles (5 kilometers).
Elevation gain: 680 feet.
Estimated time: 45 minutes each way.

Once you arrive at the glacial lake, you are rewarded with jaw-dropping views of the Briksdalbreen glacier and Banff blue glacier water. The top of the hike is most crowded area, so don’t be afraid to walk down the lake shoreline to find less crowded areas.

Briksdal Glacier Troll Cars

Alternatively, if you aren’t keen on hiking all the way up to Briksdal Glacier, you can pay extra to take the troll cars from the visitor center up the majority of the hike. You will still have to walk 10-15 minutes to get to the glacial lake, but the troll cars drive you past the staircases and steepest inclines. Like the shuttle bus tickets, be sure to book your troll car passes as early as possible because these rides do sell out.

After you enjoy Briksdal Glacier, walk back down to the visitor center to meet your shuttle bus driver to drive back to the Port of Olden. Your driver should tell you your specific return meeting time before you start your hike. Then, pick up a quick grab-and-go lunch at the nearby gas station or on your ship before heading to your next Olden cruise port stop: Loen Skylift.

Loen Skylift

Loen Skylift is one of the steepest gondola rides in Europe. As such, the payoff for visiting Loen Skylift includes immaculate views of the Nordfjorden, epic aerial views of Olden’s glacial lakes and eye-level views of the surrounding mountain range.

How To Get To Loen Skylift From The Cruise Port

Much like the Briksdal Glacier, to get to the Loen Skylift from the cruise port, you have to book shuttle bus tickets. There is about a 10 minute drive from the Port of Olden to Loen Skylift. The shuttle buses pick you up at the Port of Olden right outside your ship and drop you off right at the Loen Skylift visitor center entrance.

Again, you ought to prebook these shuttle bus tickets early and directly through Olden’s tour companies if you want the cheapest rates. However, if you cannot book early, visit the Olden sightseeing office and/or tour tents in the morning to purchase tickets. If you plan to visit Loen Skylift after Briksdal Glacier, purchase both of these shuttle tickets in the morning at the same time. As previously mentioned, these tickets should include your return shuttle back to the ship.

Visiting Loen Skylift

Upon arrival to the Loen Skylift visitor center, follow the signs to the skylift. You may have to wait in line to board, but you shouldn’t have to wait long. The gondolas hold about 15-20 people at a time and run on a constant loop.

The Loen Skylift takes its passengers over 3300 feet above sea level in just five minutes. While you may experience some ear popping on the way up, you shouldn’t have to worry about elevation sickness because you start from sea level. Above all, you get a good peek at the beautiful glacial lake and snow-capped mountain views to come.

At the top, in addition to extremely impressive views, there’s a beautiful indoor restaurant with panoramic views of the fjord. This restaurant would make for a perfect romantic date or a nice lunch alternative. Moreover, upstairs above the restaurant, there is a small bakery filled with fresh Norwegian cinnamon buns, honey buns and more.

If you opt out of the Briksdal Glacier and visit only Loen Skylift — and you’re daring enough — there is also the option to either hike or zipline back down the mountain. If you’re short on time — or not so adventurous — you can hop in line to go back down the mountain on the gondola at any given time. Just be sure to give yourself ample time to shuttle bus back to the Port of Olden before all-aboard. Note, the ride down is fast, so your stomach may drop briefly!

Shopping In Olden Norway

After you return to the cruise port from Loen Skylift, you may have an hour or two left to shop for souvenirs and visit the town of Olden. There are a few fantastic souvenir shops right across the street from the cruise ships, where you can find pretty much any souvenir imaginable. Additionally, if you want to see the small town center of Olden, you can walk to Olden from the cruise port. The walk to Olden, Norway, city center from the cruise port is only about a 10-15 minute walk. There is a designated walking path from the port to city center.

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